Quark Matter Card Games

Abstract

The disclosed Quark matter card game and methods of playing with cards represent elementary particles which provides first-hand, fun, attractive and enjoyable experience for laypersons such as for example, children, students and researchers to have a hands-on experience of particle and high energy heavy ion or nuclear physics using simple and inexpensive tools. Anyone who knows the colors, red, green, blue, black and white, can start to play one of the games described herein. According an embodiment, the disclosed card game is directed to a deck for playing an educational game, the deck comprises a plurality of card-like devices having a face bearing a representation of an elementary particle.

1 . A deck for playing an educational game, the deck comprising: a plurality of card-like devices having a face bearing a representation of an elementary particle. 
     
     
         2 . The deck of  claim 1 , wherein the card-like devices comprise thin sheets suitable for shuffling and dealing by hand, the sheets fabricated from a material chosen from the group consisting of paper, cardstock, and plastic. 
     
     
         3 . The deck of  claim 1 , wherein the card-like devices comprise an electronically generated image on a display device. 
     
     
         4 . The deck of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of card-like devices comprises at least three sets, each set consisting of: four devices each bearing a representation on the face of a u quark; four devices each bearing a representation on the face of a d quark; three devices each bearing a representation on the face of an s quark; one device bearing a representation on the face of an anti-u quark; one device bearing a representation on the face of an anti-d quark; one device bearing a representation on the face of an anti-strange quark; one device bearing a representation on the face of an electron; one device bearing a representation on the face of a positron; one device bearing a representation on the face of a muon; one device bearing a representation on the face of an anti-muon; one device bearing a representation on the face of an electron neutrino; one device bearing a representation on the face of an electron antineutrino; one device bearing a representation on the face of a muon neutrino; and one device bearing a representation on the face of a muon antineutrino. 
     
     
         5 . A game comprising: a set of representations of elementary particles; and a body of rules for combining the representations,
 wherein the rules conform to rules for the combination of elementary particles according to the Standard Model of particle physics.   
     
     
         6 . The game of  claim 5 , wherein: the elementary particles comprise quarks, anti-quarks, leptons, and anti-leptons. 
     
     
         7 . The game of  claim 6 , wherein: quarks may be combined to form hadrons. 
     
     
         8 . The game of  claim 6 , wherein: leptons and anti-leptons may be combined to annihilate one another. 
     
     
         9 . The game of  claim 6 , wherein: quarks and anti-quarks may be combined to form mesons. 
     
     
         10 . The game of  claim 5 , wherein said set of representations of elementary particles comprise thin sheets and/or tiles suitable for shuffling and dealing by hand, the sheets fabricated from a material chosen from the group consisting of paper, cardstock, and plastic, and/or the tiles fabricated from a material chosen from the group consisting of solid material, non-transparent material, wood, bone, stone, and plastic. 
     
     
         11 . The game of  claim 5 , wherein said set of representations of elementary particles comprise an electronically generated image on a display device. 
     
     
         12 . A method of playing a game, the method comprising: randomizing a set of representations of elementary particles; distributing at least a subset of the representations to a position, the position belonging to either a player or a central region; and combining the representations according to rules that conform to rules for the combination of elementary particles according to the Standard Model of particle physics. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein: distributing the representations comprises putting a fixed number of representations of quark, anti-quarks, leptons, anti-leptons or a combination thereof into the central region and distributing the remaining representations equally to two players. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising: a first player announcing the player's recognition of an allowable combination of quarks and anti-quarks in the center region; and in the case where the recognition is correct, a second player collecting all of the representations from the center region; and in the case where the recognition is incorrect, the first player collecting all of the representations from the center region; wherein winning the game comprises possessing no representations in one's own window and in one's own hand after all quark and anti-quark representations have been exhausted. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising: a first player announcing the player's recognition of an allowable combination of leptons and anti-leptons in the center region; and in the case where the recognition is correct, a second player collecting all of the representations from the center region; and in the case where the recognition is incorrect, the first player collecting all of the representations from the center region; wherein winning the game comprises possessing no representations in one's own window and in one's own hand after all lepton and anti-lepton representations have been exhausted. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising: a first player announcing the player's recognition of an allowable combination of anti-leptons and anti-quarks in the center region; and in the case where the recognition is correct, a second player collecting all of the representations from the center region; and in the case where the recognition is incorrect, the first player collecting all of the representations from the center region; wherein winning the game comprises possessing no representations in one's own window and in one's own hand after all lepton and anti-lepton representations have been exhausted. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein: distributing the representations comprises putting all representations into the center region; and one or more players seek permissible combinations of representations, removing the permissible combinations from the center region, the game ending when all permissible combinations have been made. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein: distributing the representations comprises: choosing a cosmic proton; putting three component representations of the cosmic proton in the center region; and then randomizing the remaining representations and concealing their values in a pack; and combining the representations comprises building up a cosmic shower. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein: distributing the representations comprises distributing all the representations equally to two players. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising: each player putting five representations in the center region; a first player claiming the ten representations, using at least two of them to form an allowable decay or partial decay, and announcing the name of at least two of the particles involved in the decay; and awarding points to the first player for forming the decay according to a predetermined table of point values, wherein a point value of minus one is awarded every second time the first player is unable to form an allowable decay after claiming the representations. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising; replenishing the representations in the central region from the first player's representations. 
     
     
         22 . The deck of  claim 1 , wherein the card-like devices represent elementary particles. 
     
     
         23 . The deck of  claim 22 , wherein said particles are selected from the group comprising quarks, anti-quarks, leptons and anti-leptons. 
     
     
         24 . The game of  claim 5 , wherein said rules substantially conform to the laws of nature. 
     
     
         25 . The game of  claim 24 , wherein said rules are formulated in an entertaining and enlightening fashion. 
     
     
         26 . The deck of  claim 1 , wherein the card-like device has a shape selected from the group comprising a rectangular shape, a square shape, a circle shape, a triangle shape, and a geometrical shape. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein one representation scores one point with the exception of representations of neutrinos and anti-neutrinos, that score no points. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 17 , where the sequence of removing representations from the central region starts with removing all the neutrinos and anti-neutrinos one after the other one-by-one, for no scores, followed by removing pairs of charged leptons, scoring one point for each card, and then by removing permissible hadron combinations where all the three colors have to be correctly represented for the formation of hadrons including mesons, baryons and anti-barions, also scoring one point for each card. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the hadrons can be removed from the central region and only if a player can name that given hadron correctly. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein a player who tried to form a hadron but cannot name it or, names it incorrectly, then another player is free to name the hadron and whoever names that hadron correctly for the first time, that person gets the cards of the hadron and the scores for it, also scoring one point for each card.